If you happened to walk by the Lecture Hall last Wednesday, January 16, 2013, you might’ve seen many students nervously pacing with scripts in their hands reciting lines. You might’ve even heard some students singing together, trying to warm up their voices. What’s going on, you ask? It’s that time of year again. Last week, Jesuit Theater held their spring auditions for their upcoming productions.
At the beginning of the spring semester, Jesuit Theater decided to introduce three more productions in addition to the Spring One Acts. The first of which, “Rumors”, will be directed by Mr. David Myers, Mr. Joe Howard, and Mrs. Miki Bone (Melsheimer), the newest addition to Jesuit’s directing staff. “Rumors” was written by Neil Simon in 1988. In a nutshell, “Rumors” is about a New York dinner party gone completely wrong. According to Mr. Myers, “’Rumors’ will be hilarious. I’ve wanted to do this play for years.”
The second production students auditioned for was the Jesuit Comedy Improv Troupe, which will only consist of Jesuit students. It, too, will be directed by Mr. Myers as well as other faculty members. The Troupe will produce shows consisting of improvisation, sketch, and stand-up comedy. The students who participate will also study comedy club techniques as well as learn to write their own scripts. The Troupe’s performances will run during Jesuit’s lunch periods in the Lecture Hall throughout the spring.
The last of the three shows is the Jesuit Musical Revue, which has been resurrected after many, many years. The last time Jesuit had the Musical Revue was when Physics teacher Mr. Max Von Schlehenried attended Jesuit and apparently stole the spotlight. Mr. Von Schlehenried and Ms. Ann Morton, one of Jesuit’s music teachers, will co-direct the production. The cast for this production will spend the semester working on songs from different musicals. In essence, the cast will get to work on their favorite songs, regardless of which shows they come from. Many of the cast members, though, are well-prepared because Mr. Von Schlehenried has held workshops every week since the beginning of school. Performances will be integrated into the Spring One Acts, which will provide for a larger audience.
After a long evening, 68 different auditions, and much thinking, the Jesuit directing staff selected 21 students for “Rumors”, 11 students for the Jesuit Comedy Improv Troupe, and 13 students for the Jesuit Musical Revue. Congratulations to all of those that were cast!
